ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — rain
  3. game — a match
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bank — for money
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com